Satellite navigation can save your life (1)

On July 30th, 2004 a major disaster occured in a place called Ghislengien in Belgium. During construction works, a gas pipeline was hit, which resulted in a major explosion with many casualties (24 + 132 wounded). In the national surveyers' magazine GeoPlatform, I was glad to read that much has changed since.

The construction supervisor can now sign in to a web portal and define the planned excavation area. He receives copies of the required maps from the local cable and pipeline companies before the works can start. Inversely, the new cable and pipeline maps should be added to the so-called 'large reference file' which collects all new information in a digital way.

Surveyers can nowadays determine positions quickly and accurately through satellite navigation receivers (GPS, Galileo, Glonass) and Geospatial Information Systems on mobile devices. Centimeter accuracy is possible, ... amazing how satellites can do that.

Whether everything already occurs by the book is not clear, but at least improvement is on its way. Many countries have the same concern now. This shows how satellite navigation, combined with other technologies, can save our lives. Photo: SSN.